Hotel: Hotel Roess, Hohrod
*HB Basis so evening meals included
transfer by Eurostar London to Strasbourg

Walking the Vosges 2019

Walking the Vosges

Spectacular in their scenery, matched only by the sheer scale of the tangible evidence that still covers the ground this is a tour not to be missed. A contested region that had been part of Germany since 1870, the French were keen to regain lost territory as soon as hostilities began.

The two armies pitched some of their most elite troops into the fighting, notably the proud Alpine Chasse troops coming face to face with German Jager troops committed to defending ground they considered to be German.

Largely undeveloped today the battlefield is littered with trenches, bunkers, barbed wire, memorials and cemeteries on a scale not seen elsewhere on the Western Front. Our tour is based in the charming family run Hotel Roess perched on the mountainside hamlet of Hohrodberg. The tour will cover the three main battlefields of Le Linge, Tetes Des Faux and Hartmannswillerkopf via a series of comprehensive walks.

*This tour is on a half board basis with evening meals included, return travel by Eurostar - London (or Ebbsfleet) to Strasbourg

Day 1 Sunday 23 June - Travel to Strasbourg by Eurostar/TGV, meet French coach to transfer us to the hotel.

Day 2 - Monday 24 June - La Linge, just a short drive from the Hotel our walk starts behind the French lines, here we cross the shell torn no-mans-land up to the German wire, through densely wooded ground we discover the numerous bunkers and trenches that exist undisturbed whilst learning of the stories of the men who fought here and the actions that took place.
We arrive at the Le Linge battlefield park 983 meters above sea level where there is a fascinating museum set among perfectly preserved trenches bunkers and look out posts before ending the day at the nearby French Cemetery.
Orange walk - 5-6km over rough, broken ground

Day 3 Tuesday 25 June - Tetes Des Faux, we climb higher to the wilderness of Tetes Des Faux. First captured by the Germans in early September 1914, it was recaptured by the French in December and then became a gruelling fight for the summit over the coming weeks before both sides entrenched for the duration of the war. Our walk crosses very undulating land (mostly up), crossing bivouac areas, completely preserved trench systems and remote isolated cemeteries set deep in the forest before we reach the summit and receive an awe inspiring view over the region from atop a reinforced natural French observation post. Continuing across the mountain we descend via the crumbling moss covered remains of a German cable railway system and larger bunker complexes before ending our day.
Orange walk - a longer 6-7km over rough broken ground

Day 4 - Wednesday 26 June - Hartmannswillerkopf, saving the most dramatic to the end, our walk today starts at the huge French Memorial and Cemetery, continuing onto the summit itself where the trenches and bunkers overlook the Rhine plain, during a circuit around the crest we uncover some incredible memorials such as the German comrades memorial carved out of stone, a complete Minnenwerfer battery and the breath taking memorial to the 152nd Infantry Regiment , the Red Devils who fought a furious action across this ground. We descend via the Swiss Epique a 400 metres along a 8 foot deep trench blasted out of the rock, fire steps and loop holes still line the parapet, bunkers and barbed wire defences are almost complete making for a memorable climax to our tour of this incredible battlefield.
Red Walk - 5-6km but down fairly steep inclines, through trenches and bunkers

Day 5 - Thursday 27 June - After a visit to an intimate memorial commemorating a bomber command crew who flew into the mountainside above our hotel we depart back to Strasbourg for a return rail journey to London St Pancras.

Booking

If you would like to book your place on this tour please download and complete the booking form and send to us with your deposit.

You can either send a cheque made payable to “Battle Honours Ltd”, pay by BACS transfer (IBAN if overseas) both account details on bottom of booking form.

Back in the UK after another great trip with Battle Honours. Great weather for walking the Somme battlefield and a good hotel in Cambrai. Good companions on the trip, some of whom were new to battlefield walking. Highlights have to include being in France when they won the World Cup. Visiting the cemeteries large and small maintained by the CWGC Hearing the stories of the men who served and sometimes died on the battlefields and Clive allowing me to tell the group of some of my relatives service including an 18 year old officer who was killed at High Wood in July 1916 and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial
I have been on over 10 trips with the company and have never been disappointed with my travels, great company and excellent guiding from Clive, Julian, Rory, Stephen and the guest guiders. I have been allowed to have private cemetery visits where time has permitted it and this is always much appreciated. When asked to recommend a company to travel with I always recommend Battle Honours without hesitation.

Ken Nisbet
Edinburgh

Award Winning Guides

Battle Honour’s are the proud holders of the coveted 2013 Nathaniel Wade award from the Guild of Battlefield Guides for our services to guiding,